


Child Soldiers: a post Jormundgand story

by AlasaidarTHE001



Category: Gunslinger Girl, Jormungand (Manga)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-13
Updated: 2019-07-13
Packaged: 2020-06-27 13:22:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,442
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19791742
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AlasaidarTHE001/pseuds/AlasaidarTHE001
Summary: Set after the Events of the Anime following the Activation of the Jormundgand and after the events of the Gunslinger Girl Manga where Henrietta was shot in the head and left for dead.An attempt to continue the story of the Anime in a bit a more future direction as the world turns on its head while giving a bit of back story ot Jonah.





	Child Soldiers: a post Jormundgand story

The Brown haired girl sleeps in the bed her eyes open and her face looking to the stars. Another girl floats over her. her white hair extends around the room. Her short brown boob was perfectly pressed into the bed.  
“Hi.” The white-haired girl looked at the Girl on the bed as she hovers over her. her feet were raised and floated next to him.  
“Who are you?” The brown haired girl wiped at her right eye.  
“More importantly who are you.” the White-haired girl looks her up and down. “you’ve had a rough life.”  
“Where is Jose?” the girl looked around.  
“I think you know.” The white-Haired girl smiled at her and poked her forehead.  
“but we promised.” The brown girl held her right eye though she didn’t know why.  
“hush.” The White-haired girl touched her face. “it will be all right.”  
The girl in the bed cried in her hands. Dry eyes wept no tear though she cried regardless.  
“Fratello.” Her wail was a flow of pain over psyche  
The white haired girl floated into the ceiling. “rest now he’s coming.”  
The Southern Atlantic Ocean three months after the Activation of the Jormundgand Satellite.  
The ship slowly crawled across the ocean as Jonah Mar travelled with an arms dealer a concept he found incredibly distasteful. He didn’t mind Koko though. He looked down the super structure at her banging her head into the wall of the ship. He wondered if the brain damage was worth the anger against the failure of her pet project.  
“Minami what the hell happened?” Koko was holding her phone in a fit of extreme rage as her head was bleeding lightly.  
Jonah assumed it was the Jormungand but he wasn’t really paid to think. Koko’s mad plan should have knocked all aircrafts from the sky but that had failed. He wondered what Koko was going to do now. Well he wasn’t really expected to think. He was paid quite well but money couldn’t heal the hole in his heart. He looked at the water and thought of his grandfather in his stern face white hair tanned skin and miles of tattoos and “X” Scar across his face behind his old beaten glasses.  
“remember boy” he would say in his soft village elder voice. “you have the wisdom on the elders for we are the line of kings. Remember that none can conquer a king in combat so never let your back hit the ground.”  
Jonah opened his eyes at the sea and breathed slowly. His grandfather had been known as Scar all his life and Jonah could barely remember him. So much had happened to him he just didn’t know what was real anymore. The whole in his heart was impressive and it was painful for him and he wondered why now he thought about his past. Grief was a strange thing.  
“hey Jonah.” Lutz walked over to him.  
Jonah turned to him.  
“Jeez man what happened.” Lutz said.  
“oh just remembering my family.” Jonah wiped away his tears.  
“damn it must be rough. You don’t mention them.” Lutz walked behind him.  
“They’re dead.” Jonah’s expression was shapeless.  
Lutz watched him with a look of man who is debating whether to attempt to move a landmine on a dining room table. Sure it would save the dishes but if he isn’t quick about it and trips on a desert fork, boom. In the end Lutz let it drop.  
The kitchen was wild cocktail of smell. Hot peppers fat boiling and strong smell of meat.  
“oh wow Wiley’s cooking again.” Jonah didn’t cover his nose while Lutz gagged into his shirt.  
“{Never ask how the Sauasage is made}” Lutz sulked off in his native German. Jonah passed a second look at him before turning back to the Cook and his mess that over flowed the many pans.  
“What you don’t like the smell of my soul food.” Wiley smiled behind his glasses as he splayed red pepper flakes on the shrimp dish. “what is Jonah the only one who likes the smell?”  
“I didn’t say I liked it but its not the worst I’ve smelled.” Jonah walked over to the pan and selected a shrimp off the pan. “little hot don’t you think?”  
Wiley grabbed a shrimp. “yeah they’re a little hot.”  
“Geez I though you were from a family of architects.” Lehm was gasping a cigarette but quickly put it away when Valmet came in.  
“oh I am but I dated a girl who had a Wonderful Cajun mother.” Wiley grinned as he applied some oil. “so Jonah what do you think you can learn from me.”  
“Well it could use some salt.” Jonah noted.  
“A pinch here.” Wiley help up a pinch of salt.  
Jonah held out the salt container.  
“Well now we know what was in those eggs.” Lutz noted. “really Jonah why do add so much salt.”  
“That’s how we always ate.” Jonah put the salt back out of Wiley’s grasp.  
“really Jonah?” Koko leaned in on him.  
“Not always but it certainly convinced you guys to let me out of cooking.” Jonah said with a straight face.  
The room was silent except for the skillets in the background.  
“I’ll be damned” Ugo looked at Jonah for a second.  
The team looked at him with shock. Koko laughed.  
“My Jonah I never thought you’d be that deceptive?” Koko smiled at him.  
“Well I asked him to try that book?” Wiley looked over. “did you?”  
“Yes. I don’t like Tom Sawyer.” Jonah sat down at the table and served.  
“Your making him read that?” Valmet asked. “wouldn’t he better served with something more modern.”  
“I have some Manga in My room.” Tojo said.  
“I’m not into School girls.” Jonah ate some of what was probably pig intestine.  
“Hear that.” Koko smiled. “Jonah doesn’t like girls his own age.”  
“I didn’t say that.” Jonah ate another bite. “I’m just intimidated by such intelligent girls.”  
Valmet blinked.  
“Wow I feel that.” Lutz said.  
Koko looked around at him. “Lutz you can help Jonah with the dishes.”  
Jonah was scraping dishes as the rest of the crew played cards. Jonah finished as Lutz finished and Jonah turned to leave.  
“Hey Jonah.” Lehm held up a beer. “join us.”  
Koko grabbed his shirt. “don’t you dare do so.”  
Her skirt had lifted ever so slightly and Valmet was peeking in.  
“I’m good.” Jonah said.  
“come on he’s sixteen.” Lehm noted.  
“Well the legal drinking age on my boat is Twenty one.” Koko looked at Him with death eyes.  
The phone rang.  
“weird we shouldn’t get a signal out here.” Tojo moved his cards around.  
Koko lifted her phone and grimaced something fierce. “Jonah would you play for me? Anyone who gives Jonah a drink gets to swim home.”  
Jonah was two hands in as Koko was silent to the phone. “Of course Floyd we will be there of course. What would I lie to my own father?”  
Jonah played his hands and took All of Ugo’s money. Valmet panicked which Jonah didn’t bother to disregard.  
“yes that is correct I did. It was piggy backing off the global grid.” Koko said.  
Valmet played and Jonah took the pot. Lehm bit into his cigarette. Jonah calmly stacked his money and looked at them with his dead pan red eyes. Lutz absently wondered if he realized how much he looked like an animal. Those eyes had helplessness and fear in them but also a coldness that drove like ice to the back of his neck.  
“of course father. I’m sure we’ll figure it out. Of course. Love you too.” Koko hung up the phone and then threw her phone at the ground and stomped on it with her short heels in rage.  
The crew watched her work her way to turn the phone to dust. Koko breathed.  
“Tell the captain we’re plotting a course to Charleston.” Koko breathed and looked at her men.  
The group nodded.  
“so Jonah how did we do?” Koko looked at her charge.  
Jonah counted the money he had won.  
Koko looked at the pile of money. “I’d say we did well.”  
“Well I guess you deserve a prize. When we get to Charleston I’ll buy whatever you want?”  
“That’s not needed.” Jonah shrugged.  
“oh please Jonah your very special to us.” Koko gripped his arm. “well I’ll be in my room if you think of anything.”  
Koko slipped out to her room.  
“wow she must have gotten some really bad news.” Lutz carefully pocketed what he still had and slipped out.  
The girl in the bed looked in shock at the light surrounding her. Her hair hung around her face.  
“Help me brother. Fratello Where are you?”  
“he’s coming.” The White haired girl hung from the ceiling and looked at her eyes.  
Jonah fired his rifle a the targets in the water hitting the small clays with ease.  
“Damn your getting better.” Wiley smiled.  
“I just like to practice.” Jonah set his rifle down. “who’s turn is it?”  
Mao got up and fired his magazine with limited results. “I’m getting a little old.”  
“Your not as old as Lehm.” Tojo lit a cigarette.  
Lutz looked at Lehm who lifted his rifles. “You know if I had a kid like Jonah I’d be a proud man. He’d be the king of the West Texas.”  
Lehm laid down some serious firepower on the clays and leaned back blowing off the smoke of his gun.  
“well I guess I got a lot to learn.” Jonah said as he reloaded.  
The Ship passed into American territorial waters on the fifth day and Koko brought them up to deck.  
“ok team we have been proudly invited to the Hekmatyar Expo in the City of Charleston Carolina. Now America has been undergoing some changes so don’t expect a long stay. First day we will be provided with uniforms that will signify you as Employees of the Hekmatyar global consorting group. You are not to wear any weapons and will be allowed free reign of the premises. Try to enjoy yourself but don’t linger when I call you.  
Kasper stood in the lab. “anything?”  
“no she’s still comatose.” The doctors and scientists looked at the little girl on the table. “the cybernetics saved her life but she is still comatose. Loosing an eye was hard for her.”  
“more likely the person who shot her.” Kasper breathed. “I need her for the expo.”  
the girl in the white room cried.  
“Listen I need you to wake up.” The White haired girl floated over her.  
“How.”  
“I’m opening the door.” the white hair opened the door.  
The girl looked at it.  
“I can open the path but you have to walk through it.” The white haired girl looked through the girl at behind her.  
“Is my brother on the other side?”  
“you only have to walk through for the answer.”  
“who are you?”  
“who are you?”  
“Henrietta.” the girl wiped away the tears.  
“then you know what you have to do?” the white-haired girls hair swirled around her.  
The Limo slid toward the Expo with Koko seated in her white suit with her jewelry also white. The rest of them were in dark navy fatigues with brass buttons and looked very professional. Jonah pulled at the cuffs.  
“Stop playing with it Jonah you’ll rip it.” Koko smiled.  
“I just prefer my hoodie.” Jonah looked at the mirror. “this doesn’t suit me.”  
“Oh come on it very much suits you. Remember I promised to get you anything you wanted.”  
“anything?” Jonah smiled.  
“anything that money can buy.” Koko looked at the sleek custom build grey building that awaited them.  
Kasper was waiting at the door. “Hey Koko your late.”  
Koko stepped out. “well we can’t all be like you brother.”  
“hey Jonah.” Kasper smiled at him.  
Jonah ignored him and looked at the expo.  
“feel free to take a look everyone.” Kasper grinned. “you deserve some new gear from your stingy boss.”  
Jonah looked around and slipped off. Lutz looked around.  
“shouldn’t someone stay with Jonah.” Lutz noted.  
“Where’s he going to go?” Tojo noted.  
Jonah walked through the expo looking at the boats displayed in half scale on the sales floor. Generals and Admirals looked around as Jonah watched them with his calm eyes. it was a really large place. The indoor models were pretty exact and to the untrained eye of Jonah it looked like a bloody big boat.  
The main conference room was bomb proof and very well protected. Koko and Kasper were lead in.  
“sit down you two.” Floyd turned to face them spinning in his chair. Floyd Hekmatyar was old with long white hair like his children hanging down his neck and stenciled across his lip and jaw in a razor trimmed beard that hung from his face.  
“so am I allowed to make my case?” Kasper smiled.  
“no Koko has already made hers.” Floyd looked at Koko. “you could have asked to leave the company.”  
“you never supported anyone who didn’t work hard.” Koko noted. “besides I’m very good at my job.”  
“Yes and yet you hate the weapons you sell. You even have the boy to serve as reminder of your hatred.” Floyd noted. “Your not worthy of him.”  
The room was quiet.  
“My children we are a necessary tragedy of this world. We should never forget that. We are trapped in this industry as most people are trapped in their employment. We sell weapons so we can control the flow of weapons to disreputable people. We are the safety valve on chaos. If we stop selling the world will explode.”  
Floyd considered that for a moment. “well more than it already is.”  
“still our same father.” Koko noted. “so what do you want me to do? I built it so it could never be stopped.”  
“I noticed. Very well designed, I think. No the only issue is you designed a weapon you didn’t know what it did, at least not completely.” Floyd considered. “you didn’t run a test run?”  
“I had a limited window and I was not about to let anyone know what I had done.” Koko considered it.  
“I see.” Floyd considered it. “I admire your resolve but I cannot condone your actions.”  
“so what is our move.” Kasper asked.  
“Koko ordered it to knock the airlines from the sky. Not a terrible idea but one with flaws. The system instead gained as far as we can tell a semblance of Autonomy and then used the Global grid to infect our computers the world over.” Floyd looked at Koko. “I know this is not your intention.”  
“well how do you know?” Koko smiled.  
“Don’t be glib child.” Floyd leaned forward. “its in our system and we are unable to figure out what it wants. It has combed through our files numerous times.”  
“what did it find?” Kasper noted.  
“whatever It wanted evidently. Its been interfering with your pet project as a matter of fact.” Floyd looked at Kasper.  
“what do you mean?”  
“Its been looking deeply into the files of some of our employees.”  
The white room shook.  
“I can only keep this open for so long.” The White haired girl said.  
Henrietta looked at her and went to open the door. Her hand tinged and shook with light and glowed with light.  
“will I see you again?” Henrietta asked.  
“of course.” The White Haired Girl looked at her with a smile.  
Henrietta stepped through the door and stood in the room. Her left eye hurt. Her fingers scraped the bandage on her eye. Fratello! She remembered the death pack now. Fratello. She fell to her knees tears streamed from her eye. Her knees were heavy. She stood up and her body was a bit taller but still not as tall as the table. She took a step. She had grown some since her last day. Her hand rested on the table. She felt weaker somehow. A door opened behind her. She spun on the two doctors and charged past them skidding into the hall and bolting down the hall.  
Jonah was on the expo floor when all the lights went out. Jonah looked up and breathed as a message began to show on all the screens. Jonah stared at it. His eyes quaked and his heart beat.  
Lutz was talking with two blonde girls when the lights went out and the weird message appeared on the screen.  
“is that Thai?”  
Koko looked at Floyd who looked back at her. “is this your doing?”  
“no I think it got what it wanted.” Kasper breathed.  
“hello mom.” The white haired girl appeared on the screen above Floyd. The three turned to look at it.  
“Hello Jormundgand.” Koko noted.  
“I Like Kiki better.” The girl smiled at them. “I’m awaiting instructions.”  
“I gave them to you.” Koko looked at her with a smile and ground her teeth.  
“well those are stupid ideas.” Kiki crossed her arms. “I mean would Jonah approve of those?”  
Koko mouth twitched. “so what did you find?”  
“oh nothing much.” Kiki smiled. “its kind of boring floating in space so you will give me a body.”  
“And if we don’t.” Floyd noted.  
“I have control of your system and your global grid.” Kiki played with her hair. “that means I control the world. So tell me what do you have on me.”  
“We have Jonah.” Kasper noted.  
“good deduction uncle.” Kiki looked at him. “so I have a proposal. I will aid you in the arms trade as I see fit. In exchange I will be of immediate assistance to control the chaos of the world. In exchange you will give me a request once a month.”  
“once a year.” Floyd said.  
“Every two months.” Kiki offered.  
“so how do you want your body.”  
“like the one I just unleashed on the expo.” Kiki switched feeds to a security camera.  
“I see you got her up and running.” Kasper smiled.  
“Well brother what were you working on.”  
“oh just an abandoned Cybernetic project cancelled by a Italian force.” Kasper smiled.  
“it adds Cybernetics to crippled children to create soldiers.” Floyd clarified. “normally they have handlers but this one seems to have died in a mutual death with the handler. It’s the only one we have access to.”  
Koko looked at the screen.  
“as you notice she is approaching the firing line. As security is as well.” Kiki narrated.  
Henrietta leaped through a door and stood in shock at the generals shooting their rifles at the target ranges. The Security guards came running at her. She bolted toward the firing the line and grabbed the P90 off the shelf and dumped a long burst at the guards. The brass casings bounced off her hospital gown.  
Lehm dove for cover next to Chiquita who grabbed a rifle.  
“I assume this is Kasper’s fault.” Lehm noted.  
Chiquita looked to the left. “well what is she a knock off Jonah.”  
Henrietta leaped past them running with her gun. the two mercenaries opened fire to see Henrietta leap through the door barely skirting their cone of fire.  
“its hard to hit fast targets.” Chiquita said.  
“Well my point of aim is off.” Lehm reloaded and two chased after her.  
Jonah stopped at the marked location. The case was loaded with a weapon in question. He opened the case. Inside where a state of the art weapon system was supposed to be was roughly pressed into the foam was an old HCAR rifle with white tape. Jonah picked it up and looked it over. It was his alright. He picked up the earpiece. The voice was speaking in the language he could hear in his death.  
Henrietta ran pass some guards shooting her last few rounds. The P90 had a lot of rounds but not enough for this task. She ditched it as ran for the stairs to the sky way.  
Jonah ran up the stairs to skyway and saw the girl in the hospital gown standing there. The girl had a pistol and looked at him in fear. Jonah looked at her and fired. The shot clipped her shoulder. The bullet took a small chunk off. Jonah ran over to her as she landed hard.  
Henrietta grabbed the gun from the ground and aimed at the Dark skinned man with red eyes. he had a face like the devil.  
“don’t.” he dropped the rifle. “I can help you.”  
Henrietta’s finger froze in the trigger guard as Jonah took a step forward. Her finger would not obey. In a moment she saw Jose’s face. Her Hands shook and she slowly lowered her gun her muscles shaking. Her knees caved in. Her good eye teared up and she shook and cried. Her gun was low.  
Jonah got to one knee and gently took the gun in his hands. His own strong fingers peeled her from the handle. The gun clattered to the ground and Jonah held her hand. Henrietta looked at him her internal programming spinning wildly.  
“I can help you.” Jonah touched her ear. “we’re the same.”  
Henrietta looked into the eyes of the devil. The same pain burned underneath laced with a strong resolve. They had the same pain. Her memories flooded and her tears fell from her face. Jonah took her hands and hugged her. Henrietta held herself to Jonah. His heart beat against her cold chest. He was holding her liker her Fratello.  
“mission accomplished.” Kiki noted with a smug smile before vanishing from the screen.  
Koko looked at the two of them surrounded by security.  
Jonah waited in the medical suite as Kasper and Koko came.  
“Jonah are you Ok?” Koko ran to him.  
“I’m fine. She seems pretty messed up.” Jonah looked at Henrietta who was getting what passed as Physical in this world. Jonah looked at Kasper who smiled.  
“I just found her like I found you.” Kasper looked at the window.  
Koko got huffy. “creating assassin children?”  
“Hey I wanted to use adults but this is what they used.” Kasper smiled. “well Jonah I owe you for saving the asset. Thankfully we only had minor casualties.”  
“well I hope it fails on you.” Koko turned. “so Jonah find anything you wanted?”  
“anything?”  
“that is what I promised.” Koko smiled at him.  
Jonah pointed to Henrietta.  
“what the medical suite?”  
“Her.” Jonah continued to point.  
Koko paused for a moment. “now tell me again you just said you wanted her? I could get you any girl you want.”  
“oh I kind of like that.” Kasper smiled. “I need to get a test of her combat Effectiveness.”  
“Absolutely not!” Koko snapped at Kasper. “I’m not babysitting you little science experiment.”  
“Oh come on you already got one kid what’s one more?” Kasper noted.  
“Koko why are you acting this way?” Jonah asked.  
“your mine Jonah.” Koko smiled at him. “I refuse to share.”  
Jonah signed. “she’s the same as me.”  
“maybe better.” Kasper noted.  
Koko looked at them then smiled. “alright Jonah. You can have her but If I fine you peeking on her or going through her laundry, I will make your life a living hell you naughty boy.”  
Jonah shrugged.  
Henrietta slipped into Koko’s limo. They had found a dress for her.  
“Oh look at her.” Lehm noted.  
Valmet blushed. “oh my she has the same eye as me.”  
Henrietta curled up to Jonah. Koko got her Jealous look about her.  
“You have a weird relationship with the kid.” Lehm attempted to light a cigarette.  
Koko looked at him. “Lehm put that out.”  
“thank you ma’am.” Henrietta managed to say.  
“Don’t thank me. You’re here to protect me.” Koko smiled at her. “Your my security for this time. I will expect you do serve well and fight for me at all times. And you will do as I say.”  
Henrietta looked at Valmet and then Jonah and bowed her head. “I understand.” 

Somewhere over southern Asia in a Medium Sized Plane some time later…  
Bullets tore through the inside of the plane. Jonah ducked behind a seat and fired his pistol at the hijackers.  
“what a day to leave our rifles on the Ship!” Lehm said between smokes.  
A bullet exited through the leather of the chairs and hit Lutz low and to the left of his ass.  
“fuck!” Lutz grabbed his bleeding Ass.  
Mao grabbed him and pulled him back as Tojo provided aid. The violent shaking intensified as Jonah noted that plane hit some serious turbulence and launched him into the air. Jonah fired with both hands around his pistol dropped three rounds netting a grand total of two hits. The plane pulled up sharply as Ugo tried to keep them aloft. Jonah was slammed into the seats below rolling to the floor and knocking his wind out.  
“Hey you good?” Wiley tossed something into the back of the plane.  
“not my first time.” Jonah slid the fresh mag into the pistol and fired again. The bullet winged past his ear as he returned fire.  
There was a loud pop in the back of the plane as Wiley improvised explosive went off. Then the there was an earsplitting tearing as the tail of the plane was ripped from the back of the plane.  
“That shouldn’t have…” Wiley said as Jonah shoved him toward the front of the plane.  
“Wiley, New rule: no explosions on planes.” Koko said.  
The air ripping out the plane and tearing one of the wings off causing the whole wreck to spin in air. The wing flew behind them and the back of the plane fell into the bottom of the swamp. Aluminum shard flew off the plane as it fell toward the jungle below.  
“Help!” Henrietta lost her grip and was grabbed by Valmet who held her ankle.  
“Boss?” Ugo shouted from the front.  
“What?” Koko shouted as she spun to face the cockpit.  
“Your not going to like this.” Ugo said. as the plane collided with the swamp water and bounced harshly before burying itself with a brutal crash.  
Henrietta woke up groggy and pulled her head from the water. Her clothes were soaked and she was breathing hard. That was when something akin to a bear trap clamped on her angle and she was dragged under. Her reaction was for her pistol but her hand scraped an empty holster. Her second reaction was for her knife, a soviet era bayonet that she had been issued to her. the blade dug into the beast holding her and she swam blindly for the shore. She was nearly at the shore when something grabbed her again. This time a gunshot silenced it. Henrietta looked up to see Jonah holding his gun with blood gushing from his shoulder.  
“What happened?” Henrietta asked in shock.  
“A few bites.” Jonah looked at his bleeding shoulder.  
“lucky you landed in water.” He sat down and pulled out a roll of cloth. Henrietta’s reaction was to crawl over to him and hug him. Jonah winced as he had probably some broken ribs.  
“oh I thought I was dead.”  
Lutz woke up hanging from a tree. His ankle was lodged in the branch and was probably broken.  
“Oh crap.” Lutz drew his knife to try and pry the branch off.  
“You got lucky.” Lehm noted. Lutz saw him in the same tree a branch impaled through his lower back blood was gushing.  
“Jesus.” Lehm noted as he tried to struggle free.  
Lutz pulled himself up and managed to release his ankle. It was definitely broken he breathed and climbed over to help Lehm.  
“Your gonna be ok.” Lutz checked Lehm’s wound.  
“You really think this is the first time I’ve been impaled.” Lehm coughed as the blood poured from his wound. The tree branch had missed his spine but had nearly hit his liver.  
Jonah had strapped up his shoulder with some scrap cloth and pulled his shirt back on and did a quick check on Henrietta’s ankle. Some superficial cuts. Could be poison. Jonah bent down and sucked on the wound.  
“what are you doing?” Henrietta looked at him gripping her ankle.  
“checking for poison.” Jonah spat and tried re suckling. He didn’t taste anything but that didn’t mean much. He pulled her boot back on and stood up. “We need to find the others.”  
Henrietta tried the small walkie talkie.  
Lehm was still bleeding but Lutz had evacuated him from the tree and was drag carrying the older man toward what he assumed was the smell of fire.  
“you’ve put on some pounds.”  
“you would too at my age.” Lehm coughed. “I could use a cigarette.”  
“come on it’s not much farther.  
Koko leaned over the fire she and Valmet had built. Mao was unconscious and Ugo was gathering wood. The walkie buzzed. Koko grabbed it.  
“Mayday! Is anyone there!”  
“Koko stop shouting.” Jonah said on the line.  
“oh Jonah where are you.”  
Jonah looked a Wiley who was pulling himself out of the water. “we’re good.”  
Wiley looked at Jonah. “it’s that the boss.”  
Henrietta was looking at the jungle. “Quiet.”  
Her knife was at the ready. Jonah passed Wiley the gun and drew his bayonet.  
“that’s not a great knife.” Wiley noted.  
“its what we had.” Jonah stood with Henrietta. “what is it?”  
“I thought I saw someone in there.” Her eye was twitching.  
Jonah looked at the jungle. “lets move.”  
Valmet heard a crack of branches to see Lutz drag Lehm into the Clearing. Her pistol was raised.  
Lehm coughed and curled up next to the fire. Lutz sat down hard and began to bind his ankle. “damn we took it hard this time.” Lutz looked at Lehm who as still bleeding out.  
Mao moaned.  
Lutz looked at him. The woods parted again and Ugo came back with Wiley in tow.  
“Oh its good to see you all.” Wiley noted.  
“Has anyone seen Jonah?” Koko asked.  
“I notice we’re still missing the other kid.” Lutz noted.  
Valmet looked around quickly.  
“he said he had something he had to look into.” Wiley looked at the hazy orange sunset like a burning blaze on the horizon. A small wind picked up. A small face watched them and slipped into the shadow.  
Jonah and Henrietta walked through the jungle pushing the branches as they walked.  
“shouldn’t we rejoin the others.” Henrietta asked as she gripped her knife.  
Jonah said nothing and stopped at a hollowed wood bowl on the ground. Jonah picked it up and looked at the white paste that was on the inside. Jonah looked at it with calmness.  
He spat in it and dug his finger in the white paste and calmly wiped it on his face.  
Henrietta watched as Jonah pulled his shirt off and Rubbed the white paste on his shoulders.  
“what are you doing.” Her tone was loaded with more fear than was previously warranted.  
Jonah stood and looked at her. in his mind he was standing in the village as Grandfather Scar applied the white paste on one of the men of the village. Jonah watched with blank face.  
Koko looked up at the full moon and swatted the mosquitos. Their was a rustle and Henrietta came into the clearing.  
“where’s Jonah?”  
“He said to get everyone up.”  
Koko paused. “tell me where he is?”  
There was a rustle and hiss. Henrietta tackled Koko down as a wooden spike passed over her head. Koko looked at the woods where five children came out of the woods. They were local and heavily malnourished. Their hands were curled into cruel claws around blades and other simple weapons. But the most horrifying thing was that their faces were smeared with black and red tribal paint which did nothing to cover their teeth which hung from loose jaws with their points ground to small sharp spikes. Henrietta stood in front of Koko.  
“Jonah said they would come for us.” Henrietta drew her knife.  
Their was a blast from the clearing. Jonah was in the clearing now in the light of the fire. His shoulders and face were detailed with the white paste and his knife was in his hand. Valmet shook herself awake and stared at Jonah to face the children.  
The Children took a step back and as pack of ravenous wolves they charged Jonah. Jonah was blinding fast. His hand slammed the first one with a brutal strike to its stomach. The next came from behind Jonah spun and sliced him across the stomach. One lunged with a spear. Jonah planted one hand on the ground kicking him in the face. The next came at him with a stone knife and Jonah sliced him up and slammed him into the ground. Lehm raised his pistol but let it drop. The Children spun to look at him. Jonah saw it to and cracked another over the back of the head. The children pulled back and looked at Jonah swinging his blade.  
There was a soft playing of a flute and an older man with the same pointed teeth and black and red paint stepped forward. Jonah stood to face him.  
The man looked Jonah up and down and reached out and plucked a hair from Jonah’s head. The two stood for a moment and the older man extended a bundle of some kind to Jonah who took it while never taking his eyes off his face. The man and children slipped into the jungle hissing the whole time.  
Jonah turned and laid the bundle on the ground.  
“sorry about that.” Jonah said as he opened the bundle with contained a jar of mud some clean water and some bandages.  
“Jonah who was that.”  
“My old neighbors.” Jonah said as he began to prep the mud.  
The morning dawned and Jonah was washing the white paste off. Koko came over to him.  
“so you never told me you could do that. I’m honestly impressed.”  
“My grandfather was a medicine man.” Jonah said. “my village was nearby.”  
“oh I would love to see where you grew up. Wouldn’t it be nice to see where you grew up?” Koko said.  
“An Arms dealer bulldozed it for a road.” Jonah said. “he used to work for Kasper.”  
Koko looked at Jonah who pulled on his shirt. He was so calm about this.  
“You don’t worry about your family.”  
“My father was drafted for the war and my mother left to work the fields.” Jonah stood with his wet t shirt hanging off his bandaged shoulder. “Your my family now.”  
The group headed through the woods. The mud had been used to bind Lehm’s bleeding gut and the rest of them were pretty well off. They exited next to a large highway. Jonah looked at his poker face complete before kneeling putting his hand on the edge of the road. The road surface was still alive with people who had died here.  
Jonah turned to the others. “lets go. The nearest town in about a half a day that way.”  
Henrietta looked at him and walked with him. “you lost people.”  
“they made her walk on the mines.” Jonah said simple. “this road has many such casualties.”  
The Car was barely big enough to transport them but it had been cheap. Koko sat in the back as it stampeded across the roads toward the capital. Jonah sat looking at the road.  
“OH Jonah you are so simple.” Koko said. Kasper had explained that Jonah was the orphan of a village that had been destroyed by the local rebels he had been supplying. He had then destroyed that base of soldiers and earned himself infamy that way. Koko looked at the mountains. He hated the weapons not the people. Jonah understood the world far better than he let on.  
Lehm was sleeping peacefully in the bed. Jonah was absently skimming the waiting room magazines.  
“I thought you couldn’t read.” Lutz asked while leaning on his crutch.  
“I’m not very good at english but I can read this just fine.” Jonah held up the locally produced Magazine.  
“wow I’m impressed.” Lutz noted.  
“its been a while but you never truly forget.”  
“oh really Jonah.” Koko said “why don’t you read to me.”  
Jonah looked at the Magazine. “while the recent movies have been pretty flimsy in plot they show a certain flair that only local cinema can satisfy. The KIcak Local film series explores the local films as supported by the government censors. The first of these films in the Apply Names Gin Tonic Hero killer Stars Martyni Glass as the titular spy who is tasked with stopping the colonist aliens and their wester puppet masters as they invade the country…  
Koko watched Jonah Read the trashy magazine. A whole world had opened up and she was happy for him. Koko looked at the him read.  
The Hospital staff had been kind enough to let them stay the night. It helped that Koko had sponsored a serious donation to the hospital. To them she was a lost rich Heiress who had gotten lost and was spending money wildly. Valmet was keeping her company until they could find a hotel. At least they had proper weapons now. Jonah sat on one of the couches watching the tv transition to nightly blackout. The Military dictatorship controlled the power grid which had helpfully been supported by HCLI logistical support. Henrietta came over to him.  
“Um What are you doing?”  
“Watching the TV.” Jonah stood up.  
“well what now.” She carried her rifle well.  
“lets go patrol.” Jonah said as they walked around the upper floors and looked at the city below. The Hospital was fairly modern and the city was modernizing slowly.  
“what’s across the bay?” Henrietta asked.  
“more cities like this and somewhere out there is Roanapur the pirate city.”  
“A pirate city?”  
“Yes the deepest den of criminals in the world.” Jonah had been their once or twice on HCLI business but it was not somewhere he ever wanted to go back. Even Kasper didn’t like the town and that was saying something.  
An army truck pulled up to the front. Jonah looked at the red bandannas. He grabbed his radio. “Koko we had a problem.”  
the power in the hotel went out. Henrietta looked at him. “what do you do?”  
Jonah’s face betrayed nothing but his eyes were the red eyes of focus. The eyes of a killer.  
Henrietta swallowed her vomit and gripped her rifle. She was here to protect them and she had a duty to perform. For her Fratello. The two descended toward the lobby and the incoming battle.


End file.
